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Puerto Rico's Political Status and the 2012 Plebiscite: Background and Key Questions

IntroductionCongress has considered Puerto Rico's "political status" a term of art referring to therelationship between the federal government and a territorial government for more than acentury. As Figure 1 shows, Puerto Rico lies approximately 1,000 miles southeast of Miami and1,500 miles from Washington, DC. Despite being far outside the continental United States, theisland has played a unique role in American politics and policy since the United States acquiredPuerto Rico from Spain in 1898. It is the largest of the five' major U.S. territories, hosts thebiggest population, features heavy traffic and commerce with the mainland, and has long-standingties with the U. S. military (both as a strategic location and home to service members).Figure I. Puerto Rico and Surrounding Area

- *San JuanPUERTO RICO-- ~North Atlaintic Oceaino 295 590 Mileso 295 590 KMSource: CRS figure using data from Map Resources (2012).Beginning in 1900, Congress delegated authority over most local matters to a civilian territorialgovernment. Over the next 50 years, Congress recognized a delegate to the U. S. House (theResident Commissioner); granted Puerto Ricans U. S. citizenship; and established a federal-stylecivilian government, including a popularly elected governor and Legislative Assembly. Whetherthe island should remain a territory, become a state, or become independent remains unsettled.Status is arguably the dominant issue in Puerto Rican politics, along which parties align andpolitics is organized.For the first time since 1998, the people of Puerto Rico went to the polls in November 2012 tovote on whether to change their status and, if so, how. Although the 2012 plebiscite was a1 Despite consisting of three major islands, Puerto Rico is typically referred to as "the island," as a reference to thelargest island of the same name. Culebra and Vieques are also inhabited. A fourth major island, Mona, primarily servesas a nature preserve.2 The other four inhabited territories are American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands(CNMI), Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.